THE chief executive of a Wirral hospital has agreed to drop a blanket ban on afternoon visiting while he holds crisis talks with the council.

Frank Burns wanted to stop family and friends turning up to Arrowe Park Hospital because of parking chaos at the site.

It followed the council's decision last December not to allow parking charges to be introduced on the land.

The ban was due to come into effect from April 1 but has now been postponed indefinitely.

Councillors accused the hospital of blackmailing them into backing down, but have now agreed to meet Mr Burns to find a solution.

He said: "I very much hope that we can agree a way forward in the next few weeks that will permanently resolve our parking difficulties.

"We have a shared responsibility to come together and sort this issue out quickly.

"Accusations of the Trust using the planned withdrawal of the park and ride and the restriction on visiting to blackmail the local authority are unhelpful.

"Our car parking difficulties pose a real and very serious operational problem that we have failed to resolve during five years of detailed and patient discussion with the council.

"Our patients face appalling problems in parking at the Arrowe Park Hospital and we have an absolute public duty to press for a solution, even if some aspects may be unpopular."

Mr Burns wants the council to overturn a covenant that prevents them introducing the charges.

The cash raised from it would allow the hospital to introduce a £500,000 transport plan to ease congestion by creating better transport links.

It includes a park and ride from Prenton Park football stadium, a shuttle bus between Arrowe Park and Clatterbridge hospitals, and alterations to the car parks.

He had threatened to seek a judicial review on the council's decision but has now also agreed to put that on hold.

However, the current ban on visitor parking at Arrowe Park remains in place and visitors are urged to continue using the park and ride service as usual.

Plans to introduce a staff parking permit scheme from June will also go ahead. The council leader, Labour's Steve Foulkes, said that they had wanted to remove the immediate threat to patients and their families. "I know people have been very distressed by this," he said.

"I will enter the talks with an open mind and try to come to a resolution to this very complicated issue that will be acceptable to everyone involved.

"I do think it's not right to use patients and their families as a weapon in negotiations.

"I remain at this time unconvinced of the merits of charging people to visit their sick relatives.